I turned 50 in 2007, so I'm practicing curmudgeon-like behavior by stressing, "whatever it is, I'm agin' it!" Call me anarcho-syndicalist or progressive, except I think most anarchists and progressives are as annoying as neocons. I like to point folks to way-outside-the-mainstream literature and music, while grumbling about everything else.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

The last few
lists have pointed out the dominant role women have played in pushing the edge
of 21st-century music, but in 2015, solo women or women-dominated
bands owned such a chunk of the best music, it almost seemed as though men were
missing in action. The masses may pay the most attention to Adele, but the best
women’s music of the year featured lyrics and arrangements with plenty of
untried ideas. Here’s hoping this trend continues – though men, it’s time to
get back on your game.

Listeners with roots in any of the last
five or six decades found plenty to like this year, as it seems that every band
that ever existed attempted a reunion in 2015. New releases from familiar names
were everywhere, some treading water, some innovative as hell. And remastered
sets of very interesting music from the likes of Coltrane, Dylan, and The Pop
Group could be found everywhere, it seems.

The rules for special albums are the same
as always, though as with last year, it was hard to draw a line. Special live
and archival material in that category must consist of primarily new material.
The latest two Led Zeppelin re-releases were not included, like the first five,
because these were remastered albums, and the bonus material consisted of
studio takes of the same songs. Still, hats off to Jimmy Page for the effort.

Please
remember that close to a thousand mainstream and indie albums are released
annually, and this 150 or so represent the ones worth hearing. Sure, there are quality gradients between the
top ten and bottom 20, but anything that makes this list is worth your perusal.

We’re going to provide a special award to
the forward-looking team at Waywords and Meansigns for its efforts to bring
James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake to
music. The group already has released a first volume of readings from
experimental musicians at waywordsandmeansigns.com, available for free
downloads, and 2016’s releases will include the irrepressible Neil Campbell. If
you’ve ever loved or been confused by James Joyce, you can’t miss this.

Regular Studio Albums, 2015

1.Torres,
Sprinter – Sometimes an album shoots
to the top for personal, inexplicable reasons. Mackenzie Scott, aka Torres,
writes fine songs in her own right, and the engineering on her second album
plays the kind of precise decibel games that King Crimson used to love. But
something about this album pushed all the intuitive buttons – was it her
surreal, cryptic lyrics? The bravery to look for hope in a grim landscape?
Whatever, it worked for me, it may not for you, but this one even overshot
Courtney Barnett to take the title.

2.Courtney
Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes
I Just Sit – Believe the hype. This diminutive Australian cyclone delivers
Dylanesque lyrics at impossible speed, has a crack and rockin’ band, and
displays the kind of dry, detached humor that few are even able to show when
they’re 50. All the songs on this album will be on continuous rotation.

3.Ought,
Sun Coming Down – Oddly enough, this
Montreal band held the same third-place spot last year with their debut album.
Some might interpret this as treading water. In reality, Ought captured the
early Talking Heads sound perfectly, and avoided the sophomore slump common to
other Heads sound-alikes like Tapes n Tapes and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Remarkable lyrics, remarkable stage presence, remarkable band.

4.Kendrick
Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly – Lamar
largely reaches his complex and challenging goal of compressing Black History
Month in the story of a particular family. Expansive, exhausting, and
brilliant. The arrangements by Kamasi Washington make it particularly gripping.
Go for the double vinyl with the expanded liner notes.

5.Sleater-Kinney,
No Cities to Love – The bosses are
back. The rest of us can go home now.Bonus Edition Handicap: The
white-vinyl box edition not only contains extra songs, but is a thing of great
beauty. How can you NOT want it?

6.Hop
Along, Painted Shut – Frances Quinlan
is an innovator in both lyrics and arrangements whose talents are finally being
recognized. This is several steps beyond
the last Hop Along.

7.Joan
Shelley, Over and E ven – Is the Kentucky angel a
cross between Gillian Welch and Diane Cluck, or simply the ghost of Kate Wolf?
Haunting, simple, quiet works.

8.Veruca
Salt, Ghost Notes – Given all the
reunions from 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s dominating the music scene, this seemed
to be the most unlikely of smashing successes. And yet it is.

10.Alabama Shakes, Sound
and Color – Between this album and her solo Thunderbitch album, Brittany Howard has enough wild ideas bursting
out all over to exhaust any observer.

11.Belle and Sebastian, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance – Skeptics call it the B&S
disco album, but this work is full of ponderous and dark tunes to terrorize the
dance floor.Bonus Edition Handicap: The four-LP
box set may be a little overstuffed, but is a beautiful and stunning thing to
behold.

12.New Order, Music
Complete – Bernard Sumner and compatriots can have the last laugh on the
embittered Peter Hook. This is the best New Order album in at least 20 years.

13.Joanna Newsom, Divers
– Slightly more palatable and radio-friendly than Have One On Me, Newsom still refuses to make compromises in her
efforts to make some of the most complex pop in existence.

14.Father John Misty, I
Love You, Honey Bear – As much as I love live Father John, and think his
ode to true love and marriage is fine, I can’t agree with those who call this
album of the year or even a Top Ten. It’s too normal.

15.Speedy Ortiz, Foil
Deer – It must be frustrating for Sadie Dupuis and bandmates. They were on
every newcomer list for 2014, then released their most cohesive work in 2015,
only to have most so-called fans ignore it. A fine effort.

16.Waxahatchee, Ivy
Splitt – Katie Crutchfield has been on a straight track to greatness
through each succeeding Waxahatchee album. A finely crafted and almost
frightening album.

17.Modest Mouse, Strangers
to Ourselves – If Isaac Brock had really flubbed in MM’s return to the
limelight (not really a reunion, or was it?), the relative snubbing this album
received might make sense. But this was a solid Modest Mouse album with
interesting lyrics and arrangements, and little filler. Odd that it was
forgotten by many.

18.Passenger Peru, Light
Places – The second album from this innovative Brooklyn duo covers
everything from Future of the Left to Pink Floyd. Music that never stops being
interesting….

19.Destroyer, Poison
Season – One would think that after a dozen albums, Dan Bejar would be
known more for the majesty of Destroyer than for being the spacey dude in The
New Pornographers. This album takes precision composition to new heights,
almost sounding like a psychedelic Nelson Riddle Orchestra at times.

20.Florence + The Machine, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful – Somehow, Florence has managed to
retain the diva histrionics of her powerful voice, while at the same time
pulling back, playing reserved, and trying new things. If you love the big,
larger-than-life voice, Florence consistently treads new ground more than
someone like Adele.

Bonus Edition Handicap: Florence has a reputation for always giving
surprisingly solid outtakes in her multi-disc deluxe versions of releases, and
this album is no exception.

21.Ryn Weaver, The
Fool – Seeing as how Weaver created a small YouTube sensation in 2014 with
“OctaHate,” it’s odd that most critics greeted her debut album with a shrug.
Most songs here seem consistent and fascinating, more so than Internet pop
insta-stars like Halsey or Charli XCX.

22.Julia Holter, Have
You in My Wilderness – Holter is first and foremost an experimental artist,
but she chose to make an album of passionate, personal songs that are normal
enough to please just about anyone. This one will break your heart, but also
fits solidly in the Holter pantheon.

23.Jason Isbell, Something
More Than Fine – Arguably better than last year’s album, even though Isbell
tries to add more tales of love and lasting redemption. Some of the finest
songwriting one will find today.

24.Grimes, Art
Angels – Claire Boucher was under a lot of pressure to make this album not
only her best yet, but impressive enough to justify the partially self-generated
hype. It worked. Her voice may be as squeaky as Carly Rae Jepsen, but her
studio talents for arranging and mixing make her the bubble-pop princess.

25.Laura Marling, Short
Movie – Seeing as how Once I Was An
Eagle gained a #1 ranking two years ago, the fact that Marling scrapped her
first attempt at a follow-up album, went on a long road trip, and came up with
this minimalist mini-masterpiece, might suggest a misfire due to the
comparative low ranking here. But if she would have tried to remake the Eagle album with its complex rhythms and
arrangements, the ranking might have been lower still. This is actually a
damned fine album, precisely because it is simple and short.

26.Le Butcherettes, A
Raw Youth – The only reason this doesn’t rank as high as last year’s Cry is for the Flies is that the last
Butcherettes album was a wild art-punk masterpiece, and this one strives for
slightly more new-wave normal. Teri Gender Bender of Butcherettes wants to be
the next Joan Jett, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that.

27.Heather Leigh Murray, I, Abused Animal – Heather, former member of Charalambides and
curator of Volcanic Tongue, usually dwells on the outskirts of experimental
music with her work in steel guitar and percussion. This is an album of
quasi-normal voice, both a capella and accompanied, delivered in the same
strident and jarring fashion as Circuit des Yeux.

28.Low, Ones and
Sixes – A return to a quiet dark place after the slightly upbeat C’mon C’mon, Low gives us a suite of
amazing compositions like “No Comprende.”

29.Kate Pierson, Guitars
and Microphones – Given her decades of work as the bubbly persona in the
B-52s, we could have expected a sparkly pop effort for her first solo album and
not been disappointed. But every song here offers more substance than might
have been expected. Solid, rocking, and even serious at times.

30.Dave Rawlings Machine, Nashville Obsolete – Rawlings (with Gillian Welch in the
background) gives us a heady album of long, complex songs that come off like a
21st-century version of Dylan’s Blonde
on Blonde. Of course that’s a good thing.

31.Circuit des Yeux, In
Plain Speech – Haley Fohr has been building on her transcendental droning
music and blues-like wail for five albums now, and has reached a point where
normal humans may find this music fascinating. Fohr, as CdY, has always been
fascinating. She just needed people to catch up to the very unusual work she is
doing.

32.Sufjan Stevens, Carrie
and Lowell – A very heartfelt ode to Stevens’ mom and step-dad, this
carries a lot more weight than some of his projects like BQE. Still, the
unrelenting acoustic sadness of this album gave it a single consciousness that
prevented it from making the top 20.

33.Richard Thompson, Still
– Thanks to Jeff Tweedy and to Thompson’s own sense of gravity, this album
is the grand master’s best work in a decade or more.

34.Wilco, Star Wars
– The most exuberant and free-wheeling Wilco album in a long time gave this
one unique power, though Magnet’s
claim that this is album of the year seems hard to justify. Seems more like a
nice jam session between friends.

35.Jamie Xx, In
Colour – Speaking of exuberant, who would ever have expected the founder of
Xx to offer up anything so lively, danceable, and silly? An ode to the endless
party.

36.Titus Andronicus, The
Most Lamentable Tragedy – The most interesting aspect of this isn’t so much
that it’s a double-disc punk rock-opera, but that it brings in sonic elements
more akin to Springsteen and Thin Lizzy than punk. Still, it all works in that
sloppily majestic Titus Andronicus style.

37.Gwenno,
Y Dydd Olaf – Sci-fi dystopias in
English tend to be tense and somewhat frenetic affairs, ranging from Bowie to
Janelle Monae. Former Pipette Gwenno Saunders opts instead for an ethereal
cautionary tale about cultural blanding and robotic response, sung in Welsh and
Cornish and executed in a dreamy style somewhere between Stereolab and Trailer
Trash Tracys. Fascinating, but the language barrier isn’t as daunting as
getting serious politics delivered via dream-pop.

Bonus Edition Handicap: The
40-minute bonus CD, Y Dydd Ychwanegol, is
livelier than the album itself, and hence is far from an afterthought.

38.Kamasi Washington, Epic
– Impressive but almost coma-inducing in its sheer scope. Don’t let that
scare you off, much fine musicianship within. Still, in my youth I loved things
writ large, now I think a little minimalism is fine.

39.Circus Devils, Stomping
Grounds – I often don’t count Circus Devils albums as part of Robert
Pollard-related products, because they all are so individual and weird. This
one is neither as strange as the two Circus Devils released in late 2013, or as
boring as Escape released in late
2014, but a savage rocker.

40.Lou Barlow, Brace
the Wave – A work of unusual and direct substance from the founder of
Sebadoh and Folk Implosion. Even folks who have believed in Barlow for a long
time may be startled as to how deep this goes.

41.Tom Carter, Long
Time Underground – Dozens of musicians have weighed in with benefit tracks
to help Carter recover from his induced coma of 2012, but Carter himself has
never addressed the topic. This two-disc set is a chronicle of life in another
state of being. The guitar playing is as beautiful as his Four Infernal Rivers project with Pat Murano, yet the subject is as
serious as watching yourself die.

41.The Pop Group, Citizen
Zombie – OK, let’s admit The Pop Group has played up to commercialism in
the two slow years in which it re-formed, and cashed in on the band’s 1979-81
popularity. Still, this studio album of new material has great moments of
rhythm and politics.Bonus Edition Handicap: The remix
tracks in the CD box are nothing special, but the patches and buttons and
stickers and junk are to die for.

43.FFS, s/t – Who
would have believed that a collaboration of Franz Ferdinand and Sparks would
work? The energy is thanks to the Mael brothers of Sparks, who will act like
adolescents even in retirement age. Way to go, weirdos!

44.Lana Del Rey, Honeymoon
– Many weren’t sure how to approach this album, but it’s a film noir look
at a 1960s Hollywood that must exist in its own opium fever dream. Give Lana
credit for never really repeating herself, even if it’s hard to understand her
vision at times.

45.Natalie Prass, s/t
– Prass took a risk by recording her first album with a chamber jazz band
recalling some of the earlier Randy Newman works. It takes some getting used
to, but it really works. Is this a one-shot deal, or will Prass stick to this
style?

46.Car Seat Headrest, Teens
of Style – Fans want to crown Will Toledo as the next Guided by Voices or
the next Casiotones for the Painfully Alone. He’s occasionally a bit
adolescent, but his work has quite a future to it.

47.Patty Griffin, Servant
of Love – Rumors that this would be an all-gospel album left fans a little
hesitant, but that isn’t true at all. This is a strange and beautiful album
unlike any other Griffin release, with jazz and Middle Eastern influences and
some gripping lyrics.

48.Dodos, Individ – Dodos
have finally gotten past the death of member Chris Reimer, and come up with an
exuberant and empowered album after a period of darkness. Good for them.

49Field Mouse, Hold
Still Life – An underappreciated and complex Philadelphia band that expands
its vision with each outing.

51Earl Sweatshirt, I
Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside – The title says it all, the most
unrelenting depressing hip-hop album of this or any decade. Brutal but
majestic.

52The Weepies, Sirens
– For those who find some Weepies albums too saccharine, rest assured this
was recorded in the aftermath of Deb Talan’s Stage 3 breast cancer. A bitter
but powerful album, exemplified by “Does Not Bear Repeating.” Except it does.

53Vibracathedral Orchestra, Rec Blast Motorbike – A more upbeat set than the Café Oto
recordings or the Krayon release (reviewed in specials), this is the VCO album
you haul out for people who just might not otherwise get VCO.

54Dar Williams, Emerald
– Hey, so what if she has to release albums through Kickstarter? Dar has
not lost an ounce of integrity or style, and this one carries as much weight as
any of her work of the last decade.

55Rhiannon Giddens, Tomorrow
Is My Turn – Apologies for this low ranking for the lead singer of Carolina
Chocolate Drops, though her associated EP ranks much higher. Both releases are
filled with unusual takes on traditional and modern works. Giddens is a
stunning solo talent.

56Halsey, Badlands
– This may seem a middling ranking for a woman taking the world by storm,
but it really is quite good for a debut effort. Lots of attitude, lots of
snarl, now she just has to build the songwriting up.Bonus Edition Handicap: The 16-song
version is essential, if only for the cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line.”

57Shopping, Why
Choose? – This Australian trio wants to bring back the 1979-80 style of
Pink Section, The Slits, and Bush Tetras, and the band largely succeeds, albeit
with the politics subdued a little bit.

58Shilpa Ray, Last
Year’s Savage – Shilpa Ray has dropped her Happy Hookers, but continues to
make very innovative pop with artsy celebrity name-dropping.

59Julien Baker, Sprained
Ankle – Direct, beautiful folk-rock tunes. I can’t place as high as Joan
Shelley et al, though, because Julien sometimes jumps from ethereal to whiney.
60.Joy Williams, Venus
– In the post-Civil Wars era, Joy has elected to stretch and move beyond
her country-folk. Her effort mostly succeeds.

61Wire, s/t – Wire
has attempted reunions several times, but this particular album offers more
keepers than those by Gang of Four et al.

62Beach House, Depression
Cherry – I keep going back and forth as to whether the expanded BH style of
this album, or the return-to-roots of its Thank
Your Lucky Stars companion, constitutes the better 2015 release. For now,
this one leads, that might change next week.

63Cage the Elephant, Tell
Me I’m Pretty – America’s finest young contrarians work with Dan Auerbach
to refine their free-form craziness into something snarly and fine, recalling
Black Keys, Spoon, Zombies and Monkees at various times.

64Ricked Wicky, King
Heavy Metal – Everyone has their own favorite annual Robert Pollard release
that stands high above the others. This one was mine, couldn’t tell you why.

65Built to Spill, Untethered
Moon – Good to have Doug Martsch and the band back, and this seemed a solid
effort, though without the riff grasp of some recent BtS works.

66Protomartyr, Agent
Intellect – Joe Casey may have a limited range and flat delivery, but
Protomartyr is like a rough-cut early Interpol, which can be a very good thing.

67Vanessa Carlton, Liberman
– The piano pop princess often is dismissed as a lightweight, but this
album has some real substance.

Bonus Edition Handicap: Usually, a second CD with acoustic demos
and outtakes of the studio songs is sort of boring. In this case, it gives you
insights into Carlton’s songwriting process.

68!!!, As If – Not
as diverse and hard-hitting as the last album Thr!!!er, but a fine and hilarious dance album from NYC’s most
effervescent underground dance band.

69Chvrches, Every
Open Eye – An admirable effort to grow sonically while keeping the music
home grown and DIY. Maybe no song grabbed me like “The Mother We Share,” but
still a worthy effort.

70Beach House, Thank
Your Lucky Stars – A grittier, more back to the roots album than Depression Cherry, but still a fine
work.

71.Jessica Pratt, On
Your Own Love Again – Pratt has an odd style, a slight British accent and
singing inflection a la Vashti Bunyan, but one which becomes familiar after
repeated listens.

72My Morning Jacket, Waterfall
– A complex, rich countrified album from Jim James and friends, it only
ended up being low due to heavy competition.

73Beirut, No No No
– Zach Condon intended to make a long, somewhat depressing and complex
album, but trashed it out to release this short and happy, rhythm-heavy album.
It will be nice to hear those alternative tapes some day, but for now, this was
just the right Beirut for its time.

76Holly Herndon, Platform
– Herndon is another hero in women’s experimental electronica, but in this
case relies more on Pro Tools than some of the skronky competition.

77Pile, You’re
Better Than That – One of the most exuberant new post-punk bands. The live
shows, as represented in the specials section, capture the energy better than
this particular album, but it’s a keeper nonetheless.

78Imagine Dragons, Smoke
+ Mirrors – Seriously. As much as these good Mormon boys may be maligned,
an Imagine Dragons album is always a spectacle of rhythm and syncopated sound.

Bonus Edition Handicap: Yes, the long version. The remix stretches
are worth it.

79Six Organs of Admittance, Hexadic

80.Six Organs of Admittance, Hexadic II – Still haven’t quite figured out what Ben Chasny’s new
mathematical message is, but I do know this is a nice pair of experimental
pieces.

81.Mumford and Sons, Wilder
Mind – While their mere appearance on this list may annoy some M&S
haters, Marcus Mumford knows how to arrange interesting pop tunes, and expand
on them in a live venue. Their turn to electric music deserves neither brownie
points nor demerit points, but is simply a chance to try other genres. Decent
enough in its own right.

82.Viet Cong, s/t – This
Canadian band wins demerits for changing the band name (to what?) after some
concert organizer at Oberlin College whined about being offended. Lesson One:
Pay no attention to college students taking offense, they’re friggin’ babies.
Besides that, Viet Cong had a lot of pre-release hype, but the sound was a bit
too ethereal and unformed for me.

83.Tyler the Creator, Cherry
Bomb – Tyler wishes he was the greatest legacy of Odd Future, but his
bombast isn’t as effective as Earl Sweatshirt’s relentless downer mood. This
album is funny in places, but also wears thin at times.

84.Sun Kil Moon, Universal
Themes – Part of me wants to give Mark Kozelek credit for possibly
inventing a new musical form with this album, the tracks of which are unlike
anything else around today. The other half of me is tired of Kozelek being a
grumpy, whiny baby in public.

85.Brandi Carlile, The
Firewatcher’s Daughter – A highly effective, back-to-the-roots DIY album
for Carlile, a leap ahead of her dalliance with orchestras.

86.CocoRosie, Heartache
City – Actually fascinating, maybe the best CocoRosie album in odd ways. A
dark work about killers and strange friends, recalling Roald Dahl and Edward
Gorey. No pop hits here.

87.Public Image Ltd., What
the World Needs Now – Based on his TV commercials for margarine, we could
expect Johnny Rotten to have no pride left, but Lydon actually writes some
decent tunes of social critique with adequate musical backup from his band.
This is hardly Sex Pistols or 1980s-era PiL, but then again, what reunion has
equaled the original this decade?

88.Deerhunter, Fading
Frontier – I really do like this album better than any Bradford Cox project
since Microcastles, and it’s a very
exuberant and happy album. But Cox is still a bit overrated overall.

89.Frank Turner, Positive
Songs for Negative People – Frank Turner has created an interesting space
as a successor to Billy Bragg, with a hint of Springsteen thrown in. The
politics are rarely as biting, but Turner certainly seems to have a good time.

90Bjork, Vulnicura
– I wanted to like this much more than I did, both because of Bjork’s
experiments with orchestration, and because of her willingness to put her heart
on her sleeve when her marriage fell apart. But the album was never as interesting
as its prospects suggested, though many of the remixes were fascinating.

91.Thunderbitch, s/t
– The secret solo album of Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes is a rowdy
juke-joint affair in the manner of Lord Sutch and His Heavy Friends. It’s not
even as experimental as the Shakes themselves, but rollicking fun for parties.

92.Tame Impala, Currents
– There are really fun songs on this album, and Kevin Parker has a great
ability to craft a concept album. But I don’t want to give Parker more to feed
his ego than others already have. This is about where this album belongs.

93.Blur, The Magic
Whip – Yet another great reunion in 2015, this one is probably among the
top three Blur albums, a well-seasoned work.

94.Peter Buck, Warzone
Earth – The third vinyl-only solo release from the former REM guitarist,
this one features cameos from the likes of Jeff Tweedy, Krist Novoselic, and
Chris Slusarcenko. This is the best of the three but rough-cut stuff, with
Buck’s vocals sounding like Tom Waits, and the songs resembling a juke-joint
collection.

95.Hot Chip, Why
Make Sense? – A good suite of new songs from Hot Chip, but in the
mostly-instrumental dance category, they get hammered by the likes of Battles.

96.SOAK, Before We
Forget How to Dream – Bridie Monds-Watson is Ireland’s newest teen
songwriting sensation, and she writes some remarkable songs, but she surrounds
herself in gauzy atmospherics that keep the work from being as strong as it
could be.

97.Death Cab for Cutie, Kintsugi – Many fans feared for what this album might sound like
with Chris Walla’s departure, but Walla still had a hand in this, and it is an
enjoyable Death Cab album, if not among the band’s top three.

98.Heartless Bastards, Restless
Ones – Some of Wenner’s most heartfelt works with her band, a surprisingly
strong effort.

99.EL VY, Return to
the Moon – It’s hard to know what people were expecting from a
collaboration of Matt Berninger of The National and Brent Knopf of Menomena,
but I was expecting more party than profundity, and that’s exactly what’s here.
A fun time and a great laugh, with no intention of being a masterpiece.

100Coldplay, Head
Full of Dreams – Poor Chris Martin gets grief for virtually anything he
tries these days. This one sort of makes up for last year’s Ghost Stories, by being Coldplay’s
liveliest effort since Viva La Vida.

101Joe Jackson, Fast
Forward – An intriguing concept album, realized as a multicity collection
of four EPs. Great to have Jackson back offering new pop tunes.

102.The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer
Afraid to Die, Harmlessness – These
guys veer between being a successor to Death Cab for Cutie, and wanting to
evoke classical myth images. The lyrics can be pretentious from time to time,
but in this long and involved album, the band establishes itself as a force to
watch.

103.Mountain Goats, Beat
the Champ – I’m usually bound to like anything John Darnielle offers up,
but a concept album about professional wrestling just threw me for a TKO.

104.Heather Leigh Murray, Nightingale – In contrast to her vocals album, this is an
instrumental album of harsh steel guitar, ideal for Heather’s existing fans,
but tough for neophytes.

105.Panda Bear, Meets
the Grim Reaper – An exotic and swirling work by Animal Collective’s Panda
Bear, this probably deserved a much higher ranking, though it just didn’t grab
me.

106.Annette Conlon, Life,
Death and the Spaces Between – A handful of critics understood that, in the
realm of sincere country music, Conlon beats Ashley Monroe hands down. The old
“diamond in the rough” observation, but I’d rather have rough edges than
Autotune.

107.Godspeed You Black Emperor, Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress – We all should be overjoyed at
the return of Godspeed, but somehow this album seemed lackluster.

108.Gang of Four, What
Happens Next – The addition of Alison Mosshart does wonders for this
reunion, giving Go4 more of the feel of the band in 1979-80, with even a hint
of the strident politics.

109.Phil and Dave Alvin, Lost Time – It certainly is great to hear the Alvin Brothers get
together again to play originals and covers with a tight and strident band.

110.Best Coast, California
Nights – Best Coast has become more or less a Beth Cosentino solo effort,
and that’s just fine. These are pop songs worthy of the early-60s girl-group
styles.

111.Idea Fire Company, Lost
at Sea – A minimalist IFCO album, centered on the hypnotic piano of Karla
Borecky.

112.Neil Young, The
Monsanto Years – Much as I like Neil getting political and appreciate his
choice of targets, this seemed like a one-dimensional rant – though a good one.

114.Blessed Feathers, There
Will Be No Sad Tomorrows – A beautiful effort resembling many different
types of groups.

115.Kathryn Calder, s/t
– Calder of New Pornographers has written some great material with
Immaculate Machines, but her solo works seem to be full of ethereal auras that
are hard to grab. Her live performances deliver much more of what she’s aiming
at.

116.Rickie Lee Jones, The
Other Side of Desire – Jones has finally found some peace and happiness
living in New Orleans. Her new work is interesting, with a voice not unlike
Blossom Dearie’s, and a style of Big Easy jazz-rag.

117.The Dead Weather, Dodge
and Burn – Some of the roughest and most feral work from Jack White and
Alison Mosshart, though it doesn’t always translate to the DW’s best work.

118. The
Decemberists, What a Beautiful World, What
a Terrible World – The Decemberists seem to veer between overwrought works
(The Hazards of Love) and powerful,
perfectly-paced works (The King is Dead).
Unfortunately, it was time for one of the lesser-focused albums. Exception
– something about “The Wrong Year” haunts my dreams.

119.Jucifer, District
of Dystopia – Amber Valentine should be respected for being metal’s
political historian, offering up concept albums on France, Russia, and
barbarian kings. This time the duo turn their critical eyes to the atrocities
of the U.S. government. Since Jucifer play and sing in howls, it’s hard for
many to get the point they’re making, but here’s proper credit for adding to
the archives.

120.Mercury Rev, The
Light In You – We may never return to the days of early Mercury Rev
cleverness, but this new reunion album is better than some of the band’s
over-emo works of the early 2000s. Still, there’s too much synthesizer and
floaty tenor, recalling Deserter’s Songs (not
the band’s best work by a long shot).

121Ricked Wicky, I
Sell the Circus

122.Robert Pollard, Faulty
Superheroes

123.Ricked Wicky, Swimmer
to a Liquid Armchair – The remaining three Robert Pollard albums of 2015
didn’t hold my interest as much as Circus Devils and the second Ricked Wicky,
but hey, they’re still worthy.

124.Wolf Eyes, I Am a
Problem: Mind in Pieces – Wolf Eyes’ move to the quasi-mainstream via Jack
White’s Third Man Records started off interesting, but then moved to the type
of fuzz favored by Ty Segall and friends. I like the American Tapes underground
Wolf Eyes.

126.Mark Knopfler, Tracker
– Knopfler is crafting songs with the grace of “Sultans of Swing,” making
this a beautiful album, but he doesn’t have the ability to reach into new
territory like fellow senior statesman Richard Thompson. Still, an album worth
hearing.

127.Lithuania, Hardcore
Friends – This Philadelphia punk-slop trio has that well-meaning tenor of
teenage angst and sincerity that characterized early grunge-punk. Adorable in
its own way.

128.Dawes, All Your
Favorite Bands – When you set out emulating the Eagles/Jackson Browne
sound, some of your albums can be groundbreaking, others merely pleasant. This
Dawes album is in the pleasant category.

129.Pope, Fiction – Another
burst of impressive post-punk music from a worthy newcomer.

130. Will Butler, Policy – A decent set of rocking songs
from the other Butler brother of Arcade Fire.

131.Ashley Monroe, The
Blade – Many critics called this their favorite country album of 2015, but
I wonder if it was the involvement of Vince Gill and Jack White that swayed
them. Monroe is actually a decent songwriter, but the arrangements and autotune
are pure Nashville pop. Better to seek out Lydia Loveless or Annette Conlon for
your country integrity.

132.Albert Hammond Jr., Momentary
Masters – A lively and intriguing set of tunes from the Strokes member.

133.Libertines, Anthems
for Doomed Youth – When you strip away Pete Doherty’s drugged antics and
shameless self-promotion, Libertines really are a good band. A fine set of
tunes here, though nothing that sticks too long.

134.The Zombies, Still
Got That Hunger – Yes, it’s THAT Zombies, but I think a lot of people were
expecting new baroque stylings in the manner of Odyssey and Oracle. This bears a closer resemblance to Rod Argent’s
1970s band, Argent, and hence is less interesting, though not half-bad.

135Of Monsters and Men, Beneath the Skin – Not a bad follow-up for this Iceland band,
though nothing as notable as “Little Talks.”

136.Juliana Hatfield, Whatever
My Love – Juliana is back with a band and a party attitude, which may seem
lightweight, but is certainly fun in its own right.

137.Session Americana, Pack
Up the Circus – Anais Mitchell produces and plays backup in the latest
album by this gnarly supergroup of Americana session musicians. Great fun.

138.Sunn O))), Kannon
– Almost a classical composition of metal noise. An acquired taste, but a
fine work.

139.Joe Pug, Windfall
– What with the big portrait picture and the smooth engineering, this had
the look of Pug’s breakthrough effort, but I like the songs better on some of
his earlier albums.

140.The Bad Plus and Joshua Redman, s/t – This has the makings of a great jazz collaboration, but it
seems as though BP and Redman were pulling punches to be more mainstream. They
needed to take more risks.

141.Madonna, Rebel
Heart – In some ways, this is Madonna’s best work since Ray of Light, but Madonna still insists
on using sexual and tough-bitch imagery that she should have outgrown a couple
decades ago.

142.The Oh Sees, Mutilator
Defeated at Last – The Oh Sees’ best work takes place when they are most
like anime or manga. This one is loaded with cartoon fun, but reinforces my
belief that Oh Sees are interesting but also overrated.

143.Muse, Drones – Cheers
to Muse for offering up two explicitly political concept albums in a row, and
for concentrating on the ethics of armed drones in this one. The problem with
Muse is that everything is larger than life and a little too corny in its
hyperbolic style, like a classic 1970s arena band with light show.

144.Passion Pit, Kindred
– I’ll give Michael Angelakos credit for putting his heart on his sleeve
and making a very personal concept album about the problems of family. It still
doesn’t make PP music all that interesting.

145.Adele, 25 – It
may not be fair that Adele gets demerits for her fans being so maniacally
adoring, but she also deserves a little chiding on her own for making
essentially the same album over and over. If you must reach for a diva, reach
for Florence or Beyonce.Bonus Edition Handicap: An Adele fan
is going to want the 16-track edition, no doubt, though that doesn’t imply
greater variety.

146Grace Potter, Midnight
– This is Grace’s first album without The Nocturnals in a little while, and
has some good blues and rock originals on it. I really enjoy her work, but she
seems lost in a 1970s hard-rock image of what a female vocalist should do.

147.Dilly Dally, Sore
– A post-punk album that caught many critics’ eyes, decent but not
monumental.

148.Trans Charger Metropolis, Haunted House Birds – An unusual noise-infested pop work that
recalls early Guided by Voices or Joseph Airport.

149.Flying Saucer Attack, Instrumentals 2015 – Great to have FSA back, though this seemed
like a modernist muzak effort.

150.Pond, Man, It
Feels Like Space – The Australian comic-rockers can be as much fun as
Spinal Tap, but this seemed like an effort to emulate Jeff the Brotherhood.

151.Sleaford Mods, Key
Markets – While these guys make me laugh with their sarcastic hip-hop take
on consumer life, they are worse than The Pop Group in taking advantage of all
they parody. Sleaford Mods albums and singles are overpriced and minimal, and
one can almost hear them laughing behind our backs.

153.Todd Rundgren, Global
– New Rundgren songs are a cause for celebration, though these tunes were
meant to exploit his “disco at the end of time” live show, and are interesting
but odd.

154.Blitzen Trapper, All
Across This Land – Eric Earley is commonly called “Portland’s Tom Petty”
these days, and he’s trying to move Blitzen Trapper from its former weirdness
to a pure Americana vision. That’s OK, but these songs aren’t nearly as
interesting as those from the 2010-era Blitzen Trapper.

155.Silversun Pickups, Better
Nature – I always want to hope this band will live up to being the hope of
Southern California, repeating the mystery of “It’s Nice to Know You Work
Alone.” But the last two albums have been more like predictable 1980s-era hard
rock.

156.The Selecter, Subculture
– The Selecter was my favorite band of the early 1980s ska era, and it’s
wonderful to have Pauline back. Unfortunately, few of the new tunes could reach
the brash style of their earlier work.

157.Electric Light Orchestra, Alone in the Universe – I’m glad someone’s keeping their sci-fi
visions alive, but in Jeff Lynne’s case, he seems like a crotchety old man
awaiting the aliens.

158.The Purity Ring, Another
Eternity – Megan and Corin offer up some interesting electronic-duo sounds,
but with none of the oomph of a Phantogram – or even a Beach House.

159.Twin Peaks, Wild
Onion – This band is always touted as the next big thing in teen
angst-psych-punk. It comes through as such in some of their singles, but when
they get to the longer formats, Twin Peaks doesn’t get that far.

160.Justin Townes Earle, Absent Fathers – I want so much to like J.T. Earle more than I do.
It seemed his duo concept albums of mothers and fathers were the perfect change
to experiment with lyricism, but the songs still seemed sort of pedestrian to
me.

161.Great Lake Swimmers, Forest of Arms – This Canadian folk band is another one with
capabilities of great works in them, but this release largely went flat. Still
worth hearing a few of the songs.

162.Mynabirds, Lovers
Know – Laura Burhenn is a complete chameleon, utterly changing Mynabirds’
direction for each album. That’s perfectly OK if the material warrants it, but
I’m still waiting for a work that meets the piano-driven folk rock of
Mynabirds’ first album.

163.Kacey Musgraves, Pageant
Material – Musgraves painted herself as a comical country rebel in 2013’s Same Trailer, Different Park, but I’m
still not getting the joke behind most of these new songs.

164.Sleeping with Sirens, Madness – This hard-rock supergroup moved from Orlando to Grand
Rapids, which sort of characterizes in miniature the breadth of their music.

165.The Vaccines, English
Graffiti – If this British power-pop band can put on a live show that
characterizes Art Brut, why does its work in the studio fall flat?

166.Ellie Goulding, Delirium
– Goulding always carried content under the Autotune, but here she gives
herself up entirely to the electronic dance floor. Either she is being remade
by others, or she has opted for a future in some gauzy EDM existence, but in either
case, it seems like a wrong turn to me.

167.Glen Hansard, Didn’t
He Ramble – This was the 25th anniversary of The Frames, with an
excellent retrospective album released this year. Meanwhile, Hansard followed
up a mediocre album and EP with another mediocre album. Hansard needs either a
band or Marketa Irglova to keep him interesting.

168.Matt and Kim, New
Glow – Many thought Matt and Kim were a novelty bouncy-pop duo to begin
with, but they kept chugging along, winning more fans all the time. This time,
they bring in EDM dance elements, but the real problem is, the songwriting just
isn’t keeping up with their ambitions.

169.Mini-Mansions, Great
Pretenders – Is the title supposed to be ironic? Because these folks were
going to be the ones that stuck around the L.A. area and kept their indy-punk
integrity. But slowly but surely, members began wearing suits and acting like
dandies. And the music had most of the life sucked out.

170.Miley Cyrus and Flaming Lips, Dead Petz – The maddening thing is that this collaboration could
have been great if Wayne had held Miley’s feet to the fire and said, “I know
you are capable of some great lyrics that match up to this crazy concept.” But
he didn’t, and this album mostly ended up being an exercise in nonsense.

Special
Albums (Live, Compilations, Splits, CD-Rs, MP3, etc.)

1.Laurie
Anderson, Heart of a Dog – Given the
excitement at Cannes and the Oscars over Laurie’s new film, it’s odd that
critics have virtually ignored the soundtrack album, since this may rank as
Laurie’s best audio release of all. Musings on the death of her husband Lou
Reed and her dog Lolabelle morph into meditations on why our stories, even
those we tell ourselves, are carefully edited to remove the saddest parts.
Powerful beyond words.

3.Continental
Drifters, Drifted – It may be 15
years too late, but people are discovering that the New Orleans collaboration
of Vicki Peterson, Susan Cowsill, Peter Holsapple, et. al. was a 1990s miracle.
Most miracles aren’t recognized until sanctified. This is the sanctification,
featuring two discs of outtakes and covers, such as Vicki and Susan singing
“When You Dance, I Can Really Love.”

4.John
Coltrane, A Love Supreme, The Complete
Masters – Lots of musical milestones hit their 50th this year,
but Coltrane’s masterpiece may be the most important. A lovingly crafted
document.Bonus Edition Handicap: If you’re
going to snare the master, go for the book and third disc with the Mondial Jazz
Festival live set.

5.Various
Artists, Remembering Mountains: The Music
of Karen Dalton – This album was remarkable just to exist, but the curators
pulled together amazing renditions from women artists as diverse as Diane
Cluck, Lucinda Williams, Julia Holter, Sharon Van Etten, Patty Griffin, Marissa
Nadler, and on and on. Better than could ever be imagined.

6.Parquet
Courts, Live at Third Man Records – Jack
White has recorded some great sessions at Third Man with the likes of Divine
Fits and Ashley Monroe, but the Parquet Courts album is one of those classic
all-time live sets that rank with J. Geils’ Full
House. A no-holds-barred house rocker.

7.Various
Artists, Bloodshot Records’ Six-Pack to
Go: Drinking Songs for the Working Class – You’d want this simply for the
beer six-pack packaging, but the 12 artists within (14 in the Chicago version)
offer up fine drinking songs, most notably Deer Tick’s cover of The Pogues’ “If
I Should Fall from Grace with God,” and Elizabeth Cook’s cover of The Dead
Kennedys’ “Too Drunk to Fuck.”Bonus Edition Handicap: Of course
you want the edition with seven 45-rpm records instead of six, because then you
get songs from Devil in a Woodpile and Tijuana Hercules. How could you do
without that?

8.Zaimph
and Yek Koo, L’Interieur de la Vue – Marcia
Bassett fans are going to pick up anything labeled Zaimph anyway, but if you
don’t know about Helga Fassonaki, who records under the name Yek Koo, well,
you’d just better get educated.

9.Joan
Shelley, Live at Union Pool Feb. 12, 2015
– If you still need an introduction, this intimate live set collects some
of the best songs from Electric Ursa and
Over and Even.

10.Deerhoof, Fever
121614 Live in Japan – Live albums are not that popular among indy and
experimental artists, so it’s nice that Deerhoof made the decision to create a
classic, with incredible gatefold packaging and an insane set list.

11.The B-52s, Live
in Boston 8-24-1979 – Maybe not as primal as those black and white YouTube
videos from 1978, this still captures the band on the verge of the first album
release, opening for Talking Heads. “Rock Lobster” and “Dance This Mess Around”
are featured, need we say more?

12.Nellie McKay, My
Weekly Reader – Nellie’s most recent studio efforts have been sort of odd
(in a bad way), so it’s nice to see her get together with Dweezil Zappa to
craft an album of strange nostalgic covers of works by Small Faces, The Cyrkle,
Mothers of Invention. Wondrous stuff.

13.Elisa Ambrogio, Three
Live Sets – Ambrogio has become much more melodic since her Magik Markers
days, and is able to put forth a fine power-pop set, as well as improv with her
partner Ben Chasny.

14.Kathryn Calder, Live
at Mercury Lounge, Sept. 11, 2015

15.Destroyer, Live
at Webster Hall, Oct. 4, 2015

16.Neko Case, Live
at the Lexington, London, Nov. 30, 2015 – How odd that three members of The
New Pornographers toured solo in the fall of 2015 and presented fantastic sets.
Kathryn gets top listing because of the quiet simplicity of her work. Dan Bejar
with Destroyer shows how precise and complex his work is when performed live.
Neko goes for a simple and acoustic presentation with Eric Bachmann, part of a
career retrospective to introduce a new boxed set. All are excellent snapshots
of Pornographers on their own.

17.Various Artists, New
York, NY: Ork Records, Complete Singles – OK, this puppy will set you back
well over $100, but it contains 45 rpm records of all those late 70s legends
like Television, Cheetah Chrome, Richard Hell, Alex Chilton, The dBs….. a
16-record masterpiece.

18.Bill Orcutt and Jacob Felix Heule, Colonial Donuts – In which Orcutt and his neighbor record tracks
almost resembling blues songs with identifiable melodies. Maybe Orcutt’s
slipping, or maybe he simply wants to be understood by someone else on the
planet.

19.The Pine Hill Project, Tomorrow You’re Going – Two legends of folk, Lucy Kaplansky and
Richard Shindell, record an album of eclectic folk covers. My favorite is the
Dave Carter cover, no surprise. You’re bound to fall in love with at least a
few.

20.Guided by Voices, Suitcase
4: Captain Kangaroo Won the War – After four suitcase sets, we’re finally
scraping the bottom, as there are many alternative takes of existing songs in
this box set. But there are also many unreleased gems, proving once again that
there is no such thing as hearing every GbV song ever recorded. Kudos for the
packaged magnifying glass.

21.Xiu Xiu and Merzbow, MerXiu – Long after the wild explosion of Xiu Xiu work in 2013-14,
we get a collaboration between Japanese noise artist Merzbow and the mighty Xiu
Xiu. Well, what do you think it’s
going to sound like?

22.Iris Dement, The
Trackless Woods – It fits Iris’s consciousness perfectly that she would set
the Russian poet Anna Akhmatova’s works to music. A difficult but rewarding
listen, but nothing that’s going to get Iris a wider fan base.

23.Waxahatchee, Live
at Music Hall, April 9, 2015 – Katie Crutchfield with full band gives a
glimpse at how she evolved from single artist to a legitimate rock-driven band.
The vocals are muffled at times, but the percussion is crisp and consistent.

24.Bob Dylan, Cutting
Edge 1965-66 – Appropriate to hear all these outtakes on the 50th
anniversary of Dylan’s most dangerous and prolific period. Most folks can be
satisfied with the two-CD set. Solid fans will want the 6-CD set. But the 18-CD
version? Purely for the obsessed.

25.Sir Richard Bishop and Bill Orcutt, Road Stories -- A fine collaborative effort from two masters
of the weird.

26.Beirut, Live at
Bell House, Sept. 10, 2015 – Zach Condon proves that leaving behind studio
masters that cover complex depression, in favor of simple exuberance, is not
such a bad idea (though most songs in this set are earlier ones, only a few
from No No No).

27.Protomartyr, Live
at Ad Hoc Car Wash, Oct. 17, 2015 – Joe’s fervor is at peak in this short
but tight set.

28.Alabama Shakes, Live
at Mountain Jam, June 7, 2015 – A long and varied set with a good
compendium from the two albums. A nice alternative to the inflated prices you’d
pay for Alabama Shakes tickets these days.

29.Cloud Nothings and Wavves, No Life for Me – Uneven in places, but an interesting mix of two
distinct bands. Best sought after in red vinyl.

30.Vitamin String Quartet, Play Modest Mouse’s ‘Moon and Antarctica’ – VSQ occasionally can be
a bit mainstream, but Modest Mouse’s tough arrangements demand an edgy string
quartet style, making this one of the better VSQ releases.

31.Yo La Tengo, Stuff
Like That There – An eclectic collection of covers from the band that
excels in eclectic.

32.Lake Street Dive, Live
at Mountain Jam, June 7, 2015 – A long and strident set from Rachael Price
and cohorts, featuring many songs not often played.

33.Jackie-O Motherfucker, Smiles – New work with the extended jazz edition of JOMF,
cassette-only release with two 20-minute cuts.

34.Not for Pussies, Digital

35.Not for Pussies, Remnants
and Aftershocks – Brian and Janette Kidd’s music becomes more layered and
varied album by album, and each successive NfP allows us to hear more of
Janette’s exceptional vocals.

36.Bill Orcutt, Gertie
Likes Pussy – Bill Orcutt performs some of his most difficult compositions
at a Gertrude Stein read-a-thon. Not for the weak of heart.

37.Heartless Bastards, Live
at Webster Hall June 15, 2015 – A double disc’s worth of Erica Wenner’s
best new tunes, in a tight and well-recorded set.

38.Parquet Courts, Live
at Palisades Feb. 9, 2015 – While this is not as tightly engineered as the
Third Man Records set, this provides a looser, sillier sample of the mighty
Parquet Courts.

46.Pile, Live at
Baby’s All Right, April 28, 2015 – An intense set from the often overlooked
Pile.

47.The Frames, Longitude
– This 25th-year retrospective is mostly a best-of series, but
includes new material from Glen Hansard and friends.

48.Tom Carter and Bill Orcutt, Two Sets Live at Trans-Pecos, June28, 2015

49.The Avett Brothers, Live
Vol. 4 (New Year’s Eve 2014/15 in Raleigh) – This is the first of the Avett
live collection to feature a DVD, and many of the songs get fine treatment. I’m
ranking it lower because the band already gets too much publicity from a rabid
fan base that wants to pretend a middling Americana band is the world’s
greatest. Almost a Deadhead vibe, which is a bad thing in my book.

50.Ex Hex, Live at
Chaz’s, Durham, NC, April 18, 2015 – A rough record store recording, but a
rare chance to hear Mary Timony’s band in its best element.

51.Bob Dylan, Shadows
in the Night – I might appreciate this set of covers more if I liked Frank
Sinatra, but I don’t.

Singles and EPs

1.Sharon Van Etten, I
Don’t Want to Let You Down – Even when her own release of the year is an
EP, Van Etten can do no wrong.

2.Janelle Monae and Wondaland, “Hell You Talmbout (Say
Their Names),” – Wow! A perfect theme song for Black Lives Matter. A compendium
of police victims set to strong beats. Nice to hear Monae produce such a
powerful political piece.

3.Rhiannon Giddens, Factory
Girl – An amazing companion to her debut LP, with five traditional and
cover tunes.

4.Parquet Courts, Split
with Joey Pizza Slice, “Pretty Girls is a Motherfucker” – Hey, this just
may be the song of the decade, right up there with The Modern Lovers’ “Pablo
Picasso.”

5.Garbage, The
Chemicals – Shirley Manson doesn’t always get respect for some of her
post-reunion efforts, so let’s just say this is an amazing EP.

6.Violent Femmes, Happy
New Year – A worthy return in vinyl form, and one of the best RSD releases.

7.FKA Twigs, M3LL155X
– A six-song EP that just might exceed her debut album by being more
focused and intense, and less spacey.

8.Natalie Prass, Side
by Side – The remixes of her own songs are fine. The cover of “Sounds of
Silence” was a little odder, but hey…

9.Chuck Snow, Death
Comes for Ella Mae Pixley – A powerful EP from the former Auto No boss of
us all.

10.David Bowie, “Blackstar,” Sort of a cheat to include
this, since the full album drops Jan. 8, but this got enough play in 2015 to
warrant a mention.

11.Bardo Pond, Is
There a Heaven? – Third in the set of EPs, this with covers of Roxy Music
and Albert Ayler. (They also released all three as a combined LP this year, but
that counts as a re-release.)

12.Courtney Barnett, Boxing
Day Blues – Courtney’s single for Third Man Records, two slower numbers but
still worthy.

13.Hurry Up, s/t – A
raucous punky EP from Portland, some of the liveliest tracks to come around in
a long time.

14.Todd Snider, Impending
Doom – Another great RSD 7-inch record, and a worthy entry in the Snider
canon.

32.Robert Pollard, Take
Me to Yolita – The only 45 rpm single bearing Pollard’s name this year, and
a nice one.

33.Bjork, NotGet (Keptsafe)

34.Bjork, Lionsong
(Choral)

35.Bjork, Stonemilker
(Patten)

36.Bjork, History of
Touches (Krampfhaft)

37.Bjork, History of
Touches (Rabit Naked)

38.Bjork, Lionsong
(Mica Levi)

39.Bjork, Black Lake
(Bloom)

40.Bjork, Mouth
Mantra (Haxan Cloak)

41.Bjork, Family
(Katie Gately)

42.Bjork, Family
(Bloom’s North)

43.Bjork, Lionsong
(Juliana Huxtable)

44.Bjork, NotGet
(Lotic Fromdeath) – One could argue that the 11 (at last count) remixed
singles from Vulnicura realized
Bjork’s vision more than the album itself. Then again, one could argue that for
the spinoffs from most Bjork albums.

45.Ricked Wicky, Poor
Substitutes

46.Ricked Wicky, Mobility

47.Ricked Wicky, Jargon
of Clones – Three more RW releases to round out Robert Pollard’s massive 45
rpm assault in 2015.

48.Ryan Adams, Come
Pick Me Up – One of a series of singles he’s issued pretty consistently in
the last two years, all of them decent.

49.Lydia Loveless, I
Will Die 4U – Sort of a silly Prince cover, but if this is all the Lydia we
get in 2015, I won’t complain.

50.Parquet Courts, Monastic
Living – Could be counted as a mini-LP or extended EP, but why would the
band choose to launch its new career with Rough Trade with a noise experiment?
I mean, when Trumans Water issued improvisational albums, they were
interesting, but this just feels like a bunch of unformed silliness. For
dedicated fans only.